Baby Discus bloating

[Evansdiscus]

I've read plenty of posts regarding this, but I want to make sure I'm covering all the bases.

I have had 2 baby discus with bloating issues darting around my bare bottom qt tank. One of them died. Noticeable stomach bloating. They get a very balanded frozen homemade beef heart mixterm 2 times a day. I am fasting them one feeding tonight and all of tomorrow just in case. Sadly, I lost one of the babies and the other does not look long for this world. The two fish got sick about a week apart and theit conditions seemed to decrease RAPIDLY.

I:
Reduced my 20 Long to 10.
Raised the temp to 88.
added 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts
Put the distressed fish in a floating breeder to keep him closer to the oxygen rich air.
Treated the tank with melafix. (Best available at this very moment)

Is there anything I could be doing that I'm not already?
Advice on the root cause?
Ammonia, Nitrates, and Nitrites 0
temp 88
pH 7.2 (bred in tap water)

[brewmaster15]

HI Evan,
When you say "baby" how old are you talking?
The BH mix you feed,is it cleaned well of any connective tissue and fat? Does it have any shrimp shells in it? Most likely causes of the bloat are eating something undigestable like these things or eating spoiled food left inthe tank. Are you wiping down the tank real good and maintaining good water quality...blended Bh mix will foul the water quickly if you slack on water changes.
How many babies are in the tank?
al
ps..ditch the melafix...its not useful for anything .

[John_Nicholson]

Depending on what you mean by bloating it could also be a bacterial infection causing them to swell. I would put the temp back down to 82. What is your maintenance routine?

-john

[Evansdiscus]

I remove uneaten beef heart 20 minutes after feeding. Bare bottom tank is wiped down with a soft sponge. The discus are quarter sized or so. The only day they don't get even a partial change are on fasting friday. Can you recommend a safe anti-bacterial/antibiotic treatment? The beef heart mixture is properly shelled and I have found no evidence of excess fatty portions. I'll bring the temp back down for now. The other 3 seem perfectly happy and healthy. It's so puzzling.

[John_Nicholson]

Sounds like you are doing it right. Not sure what the cause is. I would just continue with your routine and see what happens.

-john

[brewmaster15]

can you post some pics of the bloated one?
al

[Keith Perkins]

Fasting Friday for quarter size discus? Not at all what you are asking about and I apologize for that, but it seems like a very odd practice for fish that age.

[John_Nicholson]

Keith you are right. Absolutely no reason to fast discus.

-john

[brewmaster15]

If its fasted friday, I wonder if that means pig out Sat? which might explain the bloat.

al

[Evansdiscus]

I am fairly consistent with the amount of beefheart that I feed them each time. Their eating habits don't really seem excessive. I will take your advice and eliminate the fast. Fortunately, it would seem as though the fish in question has begun digesting normally again and as a result, has begun swimming normally. I must breathe a sigh of relief, as I hate seeing fish in distress.

I appreciate the help and feedback. I don't know of anywhere you could go online and get such fast and reliable information. Thank you all!

[brewmaster15]

.....

I appreciate the help and feedback. I don't know of anywhere you could go online and get such fast and reliable information. Thank you all!

Thank you for that Evan and I am glad the fish is doing well!

al